Breanna Stewart, a four-time NCAA and three-time WNBA champion, is one of the most accomplished figures in women’s basketball. Her journey, however, was not always a straight path to glory.
In a candid conversation with fellow UConn legend Sue Bird, Stewart recently peeled off the layers of her early career, revealing her struggles during her freshman year at the University of Connecticut in 2012.
When Stewart stepped onto the UConn campus, she was named the Naismith High School Girls’ Player of the Year. She arrived as a prized recruit for a program that had already cemented its status as a powerhouse under coach Geno Auriemma. But transitioning from high school stardom to college basketball exposed her to immediate difficulties.
On the “Bird’s Eye View with Sue Bird” podcast, the New York Liberty player recalled the frustration of being typecast into a singular role.
“It was hard,” Stewart said. “I remember, especially in AAU and in the beginning, the coaches were like, ‘Go to the block, go to the block, go to the block.'”
This directive, common for players of her stature, restricted her to the low post, a position that didn’t fully capture the breadth of her abilities.
One can say that UConn’s legacy amplified the pressure. The Huskies had won seven national titles by the time Stewart arrived; of course, the expectation to uphold that standard was high.
For a freshman, adapting to the pace, physicality, and precision of college basketball, while meeting such high stakes, was daunting. Stewart’s skill set, which was honed in high school, felt stifled as coaches leaned on her height to anchor the interior. The tension between her natural talents and the role she was asked to play created a challenging adjustment period.
Despite these obstacles, her freshman season was far from a failure. Stewart averaged 13.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game, a true display of her potential even within a limited scope. Her contributions were critical in UConn’s run to the 2013 NCAA Championship, where she earned the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award as an 18-year-old.
Breanna Stewart on Transforming from Post to Perimeter
Stewart’s path to becoming a versatile superstar owes much to the influences that encouraged her to break free from traditional expectations. One of the most significant influences was her father, Brian Stewart, who saw beyond the conventional post-player mold.
On the same podcast, she shared a telling anecdote.
“My dad was like begging me to shoot threes,” she said. “He was like, ‘I’ll pay you if you shoot a three.’ Like, ‘I will give you money if you shoot a three’ because it was so unorthodox and out of the ordinary.”
Starting in her sophomore and junior years of high school, this push planted the seed for a skill that would later define her professional career.
Her high school coach, Eric Smith, also played a key role in nurturing this versatility. She noted:
“He was definitely open to it, especially when I would rebound and then push it in transition.”
The freedom to handle the ball and initiate plays after securing rebounds gave Stewart early exposure to a style that transcended the post. By the time she reached UConn, these experiences had laid a foundation, but Auriemma’s coaching catalyzed her transformation.
